Comfort and Tea
by DarylDixon'sgirl1985
Summary: Credence Barebone has a chance encounter with Queenie Goldstein on the streets of New York. Mentions of child abuse. Written for both Marauder Map Madness, and Muggle Studies: Muggle Medicine assignment on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


**Hey everyone. This story was written for both Marauder Map Madness, and Muggle Studies: Muggle Medicine assignment on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Marauder Map Madness my prompts are 153. Obscurus Books: (character) Credence Barebone, and 157. Rosa Lee Teabag: (dialogue) "Everything will be fine with a cup of tea.". For Muggle Studies: Muggle Medicine I wrote for task 3 which was to write about someone in physical pain. Warnings for mentions of child abuse. I hope you all enjoy Comfort and Tea. Word Count is 839.**

Credence Barebone can't remember what he'd done to receive the beating he got from his mother. He handed out all the flyers like she asked him to. He hadn't given into any of his magical whims because mother says magic is evil.

"You evil boy!" his mother screams at him going in for yet another hit to his already sore body.

He flinches away from the hand that shouldn't cause him pain. The hand that should be soothing and loving and guiding. He knows that no matter how many times he flinches it won't matter because she'll just keep coming at him. Someone calls his mother from outside and he knows this is his time to try to escape. He watches as she leaves the room and the sigh of relief that escapes his lips hurts so much. He thinks she must have bruised a few of his ribs while hitting him.

"Don't go, Credence," his little sister Modesty. She sounded scared but he knew that their mother would never hurt either of the girls. They weren't monster in her eyes like he was.

"I have to go, Modesty," he tells her as he walks towards the door.

"You'll come back right?"

He wants to tell her no but he knows that she's much like him. He could tell she was different like him from the first moment he set eyes on her but he couldn't tell you how he knew. He'd tried explaining to Modesty herself but he just confused them both.

"I'll come back," he told her voice wavering knowing that he had just told her he would make himself a willing punching bag just for her happiness. "But I have to get out now. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Don't tell anyone I left," he told her opening the back door of their building. "Alright?"

She nodded yet again and he slipped out the door.

He doesn't know for how long he'd been walking before the tall statuesque blonde woman walks up to him a look of concern plastered on her face. A look of concern from someone was something new for Credence. It felt a little strange to him to have someone concerned about him at all. He ducked his dark haired head and tried to keep moving thinking she'd walk past him.

"Hey," the woman said putting a hand on his shoulder and touching one of his many bruises. "You alright?"

She must have seen him flinch when her hand touched his shoulder because he felt the pressure lessen from his shoulder. He looked up just enough to see that she was indeed very concerned about him.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"People who are fine don't flinch when you touch 'em," she informed him in a friendly manner. She must be from New York because she had a New York sounding accent. She motioned him to follow her.

"I can't," Credence told her fear coloring his voice. Not fear of the woman herself. She seemed very nice and friendly. He was afraid that if he followed her it would be revealed that it was all a big joke. He'd be lead back home and he'd be in for a bigger beating than before. "I don't know you." It was lie but one that was also somewhat a truth. Mother did tell them not go anywhere with people they didn't know.

"That's the only problem?" she asked a small smile forming on her face. She looked even more pretty when she smiled. It went all the way up to her beautiful blue eyes.

He nodded mesmerized in a way by this blonde woman he'd never met before. He really did want to trust her. She looked like someone he could trust but he had been wrong before. Just thinking about his current mother brought the pain he had been feeling to the forefront again.

"Then I guess I should introduce myself," she giggled to herself and stopped as though to listen to something. "I'm Queenie Goldstein." She looked like she was about to say something else but stopped herself from going any further.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Credence said shaking her hand trying to hide the wince from when he moved his arm. "My name is Credence Barebone."

"Do you want to join me for a cup of tea?" Queenie asked smiling at him. "My mother always used to say 'Everything will be fine with a cup of tea'. I like think she's right."

"If you're sure you want me to join you, ma'am.

"I am and please I prefer being called Queenie. Ma'am makes me look for someone in a position of high power. Kind of like my sister Tina. Maybe she'll be at home and I can introduce you to her. Also we can heal up those nasty injuries whoever gave you."

Gulping nervously Credence followed Queenie to her home. He wasn't sure what he'd find there when they arrived but it couldn't be as bad as what he'd just left.

 **I hope you all enjoy Comfort and Tea.**


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